Update on Food Safety Bill
I wanted to make sure you had seen this article from The Hill yesterday about a letter Rep. Dingell sent to Sen. Feinstein regarding her efforts to ban bisphenol A (BPA) as part of debate on the food safety bill (S. 510) currently awaiting floor consideration. (CQ Today also has a related article, which can be found here.) Rep. Dingell cited his concern that Sen. Feinstein’s proposed ban on BPA would have “calamitous” effects on the fate of the legislation.
As background, Sen. Feinstein’s efforts to ban BPA outright – a ban that effectively pre-judges pending research studying whether or not BPA is in fact unsafe – “would adversely impact an exceptionally wide range of canned and other packaged food,” according to the Grocery Manufacturers Association. For these reasons, Sen. Feinstein’s proposed ban on BPA would also upset the broad support the Senate’s food safety bill has received among industry and on both sides of the aisle.
As an FYI, we have not heard word whether or when the legislation might be considered on the floor – but as you can tell from the articles, the status of BPA is one of the issues that remain outstanding.